Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remember that this trip actually happened! Greg and I spent 10 days exploring this beautiful country with some amazing people, who have now become lifelong friends!

We now love Italian wine, especially from Montepulciano! We regularly serve a side dish of Tuscan olive oil with crusty bread. To see some of the pictures, check out #TuscanyWritersRetreat on Instagram and you can also see more of my photos here.

3. Packing Cubes
Since Italy was our first overseas trip, I relied heavily on the help of friends and Pinterest for packing ideas. We decided to just pack in a carry-on and a backpack. The packing cubes were amazing! I fit all of this in the 3 cubes inside my carry-on:

4. Bullet Journal

I have been a journal girl since childhood. And I’m a sucker for organization. Kendra introduced me to a way to combine those two things for the good of my well-being.

I’m still figuring out the best system that works for me. I use it for journal entries, brain dumps, books I’m reading, and it helps me to keep track of work projects.

This was a fundraising event for dreamed up by my dear friend Ashley that raised almost $14,000 to benefit Women At Risk, International. This organization rescues women and children who have been caught in slave trafficking. WAR, Int’l provides them with safe houses, medical and emotional care, education and training that will allow these women and children to lead lives of freedom, safety, and dignity.

7. Thanksgiving in Chicago

This year for Thanksgiving we decided to do something a little different. All of our extended family is scattered across the US and we knew we wouldn’t be traveling long distance, so we decided to stay home but with a twist. We spent 3 nights and 4 days in Chicago.

We rented an place on the 33rd floor near Millennium Park, ate the most delicious steaks on Thanksgiving at Smith & Wollensky’s, shopped the Michigan Mile on Black Friday, went ice skating in Maggie Daley park & more! It was a memory maker of a trip.

My two favorite things? The delicious gluten-free donut from Do-Rite Donuts. And listening to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play the score of the movie E.T. while it was playing on the big screen behind them. Incredible!

Did we start a new Thanksgiving tradition this year? Maybe? I guess we’ll find out next year.

Gone are the days of running out of my favorite fabric softener, scented candle & toilet cleaner. Grove Collaborative “does the work to find amazing, affordable and effective natural products” delivered to my house according to my schedule.

And if you join their VIP program, you get free shipping and receive 5 free gifts throughout the year. Another reason that I love them is their customer service that’s quick to respond if you have a question. They also email to remind you when your order is about to be shipped so you can add more items or delete them if you don’t need them that month.

While we were shopping on Black Friday in Chicago, we stopped into Urban Outfitters and saw these. I bought some right away as gifts & a box for me too. Came home and popped one into one of our empty rye bottles and watched it slowly drip down the bottle, creating a beautiful design.

Honorable Mentions for 2016 favorite things:

I’m a bourbon drinker now thanks to my husband for teaching me the correct way to drink this tasty beverage.

I purchased an Instant Pot on Cyber Monday. So far, I’ve successfully cooked a turkey breast & a pot roast and they were DELICIOUS.

Okay, we have many things to talk/vox about…. I’ll just pick one: I want to know about this InstantPot that I am now seeing EVERYWHERE. What type did you get? It’s now on my wish list after smart people loving them!

I got the 6qt one – it’s a little intimidating at first but for me to successfully cook a pot roast & a turkey breast, it’s a miracle (if I look at meat, it dries out – seriously, I’m cursed, lol!) and for them to be cooked in under 2 hours – amazing.